Deep End by Kathleen Duhamel - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Kathleen Duhamel and her new book, “Deep End”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Kathleen and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Deep End

by Kathleen Duhamel

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GENRE: Contemporary Women's Fiction

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BLURB:

After years of struggle and harsh criticism, happily married rock star wife Claire Martin has finally achieved the career success of her dreams. As the featured artist in an international traveling exhibit, she looks forward to her best year ever, while her husband, singer Robert Silver of the legendary band Deep Blue, contemplates a return to touring.

Things are also looking up for Claire’s best friend, Denise Hrivnak, who’s planning her wedding to Robert’s musical partner, Art Hoffman. However, what should have been most joyful day of Denise’s life turns to tragedy when an unexpected event forces both woman to contemplate the terrifying possibility of life without the men they love.

Besieged by the paparazzi and sick with worry, Claire waits for answers in a Las Vegas hotel room, thinking over her improbable relationship with Rob and praying that love alone is strong enough to bring her beloved husband back from the brink.

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EXCERPT THREE:

As we entered the room, Artie handed Rob a non-alcoholic beer and asked me, “What do you think?”

His pool table and pinball machines were gone. The area we were standing in, formerly known as Artie’s “toy room,” had been transformed into a dining space furnished with a sleek new table and seating for eight. A contemporary chandelier in a brushed silver finish hung overhead. A row of flickering votive candles marched down the length of the table, which was set for a party of four.

The only reminder of the room’s previous function was a display of seven vintage electric guitars hung on an exposed brick wall. Its centerpiece was a rare 1954 Fender Stratocaster with a sunburst finish. I was the one who suggested that Artie turn his collection into an art installation, now the apartment’s focal point.

“I think the room looks great,” I told him. “And I’m glad you kept the guitars on the wall. They say so much about who lives here.”

Artie ran one forefinger along the Strat’s distinctive curves.

“Well, I couldn’t bear to put the old girl back in her case,” he said.

Old girl? Uh-oh. Denise strolled into the kitchen, retrieved the unlit kitchen torch, returned, and pointed it in Artie’s direction, while struggling to keep a serious face.

“You realize 1954 was the year Claire and I were born, don’t you? Are you calling us old?”

“Rule of thumb, Artie,” I chimed in. “Don’t insult a woman who has the ability to burn you alive.”

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GUEST POST:

The character of Artie Hoffman-guitarist, songwriter, and half of the rock duo Deep Blue-didn’t even appear in the rough draft of my first book. He was an afterthought, created primarily as a wise-cracker who could bring some comic relief to the book. His character emerged almost immediately, though, and before long he was playing a prominent role in the plot. Who knew?

Being around Artie might get a little weird, but it would never be dull. I once described him as the male equivalent of me (except I’m not rich). He is unrelentingly sarcastic, completely uncensored, and unconcerned with what others think of him. He says provocative things that we’d all like to say at some point, and because he’s a rock star, he gets away with it.

 For instance, after Deep Blue performed at a marriage equality rally, he was asked by a CNN reporter if the band was becoming political.

“Oh, no,” he quipped. “We’ve always been pro-marriage. In fact, I’ve been married several times myself.”

His take on today’s pop stars: “Talent doesn’t matter. As long as you’ve got Auto Tune, a body that looks good naked and the willingness to whore yourself out, you can make money in the music business.”

He also made news after muttering “Funk this, America!” into his mic during a live, televised performance. His ad-libbed comment earned him the wrath of a certain loud-mouthed radio talk show host who said his words represented “another rip in the moral fabric of society.”

Artie found it all hilarious.

What I like most about Artie, however, is his willingness to change and adapt. Orphaned at a young age, he grew up as a lonely, distrustful foster child who was saved by his talent and love of music. Until he met Denise, an accomplished woman close to his own age, he’d been through a number of unsuccessful relationships. At first, Artie is dismayed when Denise doesn’t fall at his feet. They become friends, a new experience for him, and don’t get romantically involved until almost two years later.

In Deep End, he comes face to face with his own mortality, as well as his legacy as a musical artist, and emerges as a more compassionate person, something many of us aspire to be.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Kathleen Duhamel is a contemporary women’s fiction writer and the author of the Deep Blue Trilogy (Deep Blue, Deeper, and Deep End) as well as the novella At Home With Andre. She wrote and illustrated her first short story at the age of eight, and has been a writer for most of her life. Her love of the written word continued throughout her varied career as a newspaper journalist and editor, public relations executive, freelance travel writer, and owner/operator of two small businesses. A native of Texas, she has spent most of her adult life in Colorado. She lives in the Denver area with her husband, a geriatric standard poodle, and a spoiled cat. She is a lifelong devotee of rock and soul music, contemporary art, and popular culture.

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CONNECT WITH KATHLEEN:

Website:

http://www.kathleenduhamel.com

Blog:

https://www.kathleenduhamel.com/blog

Email:

kathleenduhamel@gmail.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.duhamel

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/KathleenDuhamel

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14242273.Kathleen_Duhamel

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36949234-deep-end

Amazon Author Page:

http://amzn.to/2Be3Tvv

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

http://amzn.to/2E7L1Bb

Amazon Paperback:

http://amzn.to/2E8eXgu

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deep-end-kathleen-duhamel/1127578944

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Kathleen will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.